How to Create a Stellar Non-Alcoholic Drink Menu & Why It's a MUST for Your Restaurant

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard, seen, or witnessed the fact that non-alcoholic beverages are more than just the latest trend.

Not only is Gen Z drinking less alcohol than generations before them, but hundreds of new CPG brands have popped up to capitalize on the non-alcoholic (NA) beverage movement and it seems to be here to stay (and thrive).

You can now find non-alcoholic beers and wines at your every-day grocerers, Target, and Walmart. There are even fully-zero-proof bottle shops popping up all over the world!

It’s an exciting time to jump on board the mindful drinking train and offer these options in hospitality spaces, too.

Why Should I Have a Non-Alcoholic Menu?

You might be asking yourself, Do I really need a non-alcoholic menu at my restaurant/bar? And the answer is a resounding YES!

It’s more than just the tides of trends shifting towards NA and functional beverages. With the major improvements in beverage production technology and the focus that the world has today on mental and physical health, this revived category isn't going anywhere but up.

So embrace the change, get inclusive, and watch your business bring in more sales and more customers when you provide a variety of flavorful, intentional beverages that all adults can enjoy, any time of day.

How Do I Create a Non-Alcoholic Menu for My Restaurant?

Okay, I’m ready to offer awesome non-alcoholic beverages! How do I create a good menu?

You might think you can throw together a couple juicy mocktails and call it a day, but not so fast. Putting effort into your non-alcoholic beverage menu is essential to standing out and optimizing sales.

So here are our best tips for getting started on a stellar non-alcoholic menu for your establishment:

1. Do Your Market Research & Start Sampling

Of course, the first step is understanding your own clientele. Whether you’re a fine dining restaurant, dive bar, or somewhere in between, your customers likely have a taste for certain bevs, especially ones that pair well with your food offerings!

Look at what alcoholic options your customers are already ordering and then look for non-alcoholic alternatives of those. Start sampling different NA beers, wines, and spirits - you must taste everything you put on your menu before it ends up there. Your local distributor, local NA brand, or another local specialist may be able to set up a sample with you.

When it comes time, you will also want your servers and bartenders to try these beverages, too!

2. Work With a Local Expert

Find your local non-alc or sober influencer and ask for their help! If they are passionate about the NA beverage space, chances are they would be thrilled to help you create this menu.

They may even cross-promote it to their own community (the people who are going to be most excited to come in and try these drinks)!

If you’re looking for inspiration on deliciously crafted NA drinks from experts in the non-alc field, check out these two cocktail recipe books by Derick Santiago and Derek Brown.

3. Focus on Quality Flavor & Variety

Two very important components of a well-rounded zero-proof menu are high-quality flavor and incorporating a variety of choices.

In all categories (beer, wine, and spirits) you’ll want to make quality choices that people are excited to order and that will make a lasting impression.

Remember, by adding high-quality beverages and incorporating NA spirits into your cocktails, you can increase your prices accordingly (instead of “just juice” mocktails that might only bring in $5 or $6 a pop).

Mocktails are still perfectly fine beverages to keep on your menu, but having a few higher-tiered items can attract non-drinking and drinking customers alike who want to try something different, upscale, and intentionally crafted.

If you want to accomplish these goals of flavor and variety without a professional mixologist on staff, try finding a brand that already has it within their own lineup!

Grüvi is a renowned leader in the non-alc beverage space, with several awards for both their beers and wines. They even have an incredible Sangria, that could be garnished with an orange slice and served as an upscale NA cocktail.

How Do I Create a Non-Alcoholic Menu for My Restaurant?

4. Consider Single-Serve Sizes for Ease & Safety

We all love a beautifully crafted cocktail, but how many times have we heard the horror stories of someone being served a fully-loaded margarita instead of a virgin one?

It’s a mistake that’s easy to make from a bartender’s perspective, and a mistake that can be detrimental to a customer who is in substance recovery, pregnant, or with a medical condition where avoiding alcohol is pertinent.

Having single-serve cans and bottles on hand is a positive for many reasons. Regarding safety, you are much less likely to make those mistakes between alcohol vs. no alcohol drinks.

An equally important benefit of single-serve cans is no waste! So, if by chance you only have a couple of orders of non-alcoholic red wine in a day, you can serve two cans instead of opening an entire 750 mL bottle.

Single-serve cans and bottles will have a longer shelf life and flexibility in use without ever wasting a drop! Consider Grüvi’s non-alcoholic Dry Red Blend, which pairs perfectly with a steak or chocolate cake and comes in simple single-serve cans.

(I suggest investing in the bigger bottles for specialty non-alc cocktails, like using Little Saint’s St. Ember as a mezcal replacement. With the functional benefits of 100mg of lion’s mane mushrooms per serving of this spirit, it would be a popular option for anyone, sober or not!)

5. Make the Menu VISIBLE & EQUALLY-ATTRACTIVE

This is arguably the most important part of the process to remember - not just for your customers but for your sales.

I’m talking about EANABs. This acronym, started by the community at Stanford University, has now taken on a life of its own in the mindful drinking community. It stands for Equally-Attractive Non-Alcoholic Beverages. Pretty self explanatory, but the idea is to offer NA drinks that are just as visible, appealing, and available as alcoholic ones.

And this should ring true for restaurant menus, as well. Don’t make your customers ask what your non-alcoholic options are or, worse yet, for your server to have to go “ask the bartender” what they are.

It should be apparent on the menu, preferably next to your regular cocktail menu, and contain more than two options. Some restaurants have even taken to putting the non-alcoholic menu first on the drink menu to really even the playing field and show there's no shame in their zero-proof game.

How can your customers order off the menu if they can't see it?

If the menu isn’t visible, it makes the customer feel otherly for even having to ask about it and they less likely to order off of it, opting instead for an option they don’t have to ask about (water, soda, etc.).

So shout it loud and proud from the rooftops - We have an AMAZING non-alcoholic menu and we WANT you to order from it!

If you do want to put it on a separate menu, these should still be included with every menu drop or at every table and be sure to get creative with it!

I once heard of a restaurant near the water on the East Coast that’s non-alcoholic menu was called “The Paddle Board Menu”, which I thought was just genius! What a way to make someone feel special for ordering off the NA menu and to show that you took the time to craft this menu and considered your customers’ choice to drink however they want.

Once you have a fully fledged non-alcoholic drink menu, please please please refrain from putting “Coke, ice tea, and coffee” on this list.

Yes, they are technically non-alcoholic and no, they don’t belong on a “mocktail” or “non-alcoholic” drink list. This is a menu you have carefully created, considering the adult palette, and it deserves to shine in that light.

*Pro Tip: Invest in Alcohol-Free Bitters!

If you are crafting non-alcoholic cocktails, alcohol-free bitters from All The Bitter are a MUST for your menu.

Most bitters have a high alcohol percentage, and though used in small amounts, it can still bring a booze-free beverage all the way up to 1-2% ABV, which would then make it an alcoholic drink.

If you are putting a cocktail on your non-alcoholic menu, it must remain below 0.5% ABV by law and by using alcohol-free bitters, you can assure of this without skimping out on any of the flavor.

Let's grow this non-alcoholic movement together, and build the zero-proof menu of your dreams! Reach out to Grüvi anytime you need help or samples: cheers@getgruvi.com.